Forest Knowledge Gateway
Forest restoration and integrative management.

Europe’s forests are undergoing a quiet rethink – turning “waste” wood into an ecological priority. The Life in Deadwood, the final LIFE SPAN project documentary, explores how deadwood can be preserved within actively managed forests. Filmed in Italy and Germany, it follows researchers and foresters working to support saproxylic species that depend on decaying wood. The film highlights “Saproxylic Habitat Sites,” small patches where trees are left to age and decompose, creating vital habitats. Rather than isolated reserves, these sites form networks that sustain biodiversity. By shifting perception – seeing decay as life – the project promotes adaptive forestry that balances human use with ecological continuity.

Monitoring forest disturbance and damage is essential for Integrative Forest Management (IFM) as it enables timely and effective responses to threats. This is why this indicator was selected as one of 17 indicators for IFM. IFM can mitigate disturbances or damages through integrated damage management practices, which include promoting diverse forest structures and site-adapted, mixed tree species compositions. Such diversity enhances ecosystem resilience, making forests less susceptible to abiotic and biotic threats. Regular monitoring allows forest managers to detect early signs of disturbance or damage, assess the severity, and implement appropriate interventions promptly (Patacca et al., 2023). This proactive approach not only guards forest health and productivity but also biodiversity and other ecosystem services. 

When farmland is abandoned, forests can grow back naturally. This process can help store carbon and fight climate change, but it does not always benefit biodiversity in the same way. This study looked at 16 sites across Italy, following how land changes from grassland to forest over about 75 years.

The results show that carbon storage increases over time, mainly because growing trees store more carbon. However, soil carbon does not follow a clear pattern. At the same time, plant diversity is highest in open areas like meadows and early stages of forest growth, but it usually decreases as forests become dense and shaded. This creates a trade-off: more carbon storage often means fewer plant species.

In one Southern study site, plant diversity partly recovered in older forests, suggesting that under certain conditions both carbon storage and biodiversity can improve together. Overall, the study concludes that natural forest regrowth is good for climate goals, but careful management is needed to also protect plant diversity.